Toy velocipede.



Patented Oct. 9, I900.

E. THOMPSON & A. E. EVANS.

TOY VELOGIPEDE.

(Application filed May 10, 1899.)

( No man.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLSWOR'IH THOMPSON AND AMOS EDMOND EVANS, OF GOLDEN, ILLINOIS.

TOY VTELOOIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of LettersPatent No. 659,267, dated October 9, 1900.

Application filed May 10, 1899.

To all whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that we, ELLswoRTH THOMP- SON and AMOS EDMOND EVANS, citizens of the United States, residing at Golden, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toys and Velocipedes, of which the following i is a specification.

This invention is in the nature of a horse mounted on Wheels and provided with propelling devices, the object of the invention being to provide an improved structure of this class which will be capable of being propelled and turned in any direction and which in different sizes will be capable of use as a toy to amuse small children or as a velocipede to be ridden by children of larger growth.

With this object inview'the invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to' the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a view of a device embodying this invention in side elevation with the near wheels removed. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is a partial central vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the ratchet-and-pawl mechanism for rotating the rear wheels.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The body of the horse is composed of two parts 5 and 6, connected by vertical pintles or rivets '7 8, engaging overlapping plates 9 10 on top of the two parts of the body and 11 12 on the bottom thereof, whereby a person occupying the saddle 13 may by means of reins 14, secured to opposite sides of the head 15 of the horse, turn the forward part 5 of the body to either the right or left, and thus guide the device in its forward movement.

The plate 11 is provided with a downwardprojecting bracket-arm 16 at its forward edge, stiffened by brace 17 and serving as the bear- SerialNo. 716,319. (No model.)

' ing for'the front axle 18, to which the front wheels 19 are rigidly secured.

In suitable bearings at-the lower ends of angular bracket-arms 2O 20, secured to and depending from the bottom of part 6 of the body near its forward end, is journaled a crank-shaft 21, carrying pedal or'crank arms '22 at its ends extending in opposite radial directions and carrying pedals 23 at their outer ends.

A sprocket-wheel 24, rigidly secured on the crank-shaft, is connected by a drive-chain 25 "with asprocket-wheel 26, rigidly secured on 31 32 in the forward axle, and with jointed hind legs 33, similarly secured by plates 34 to oppositely-bent cranks 35 36 in the rear axle.

The rear wheels 37 are loosely mounted on the rear axle and parry pivoted pawls 38, which when the axle is turned forward engage the teeth of ratchet-wheels 39, rigidly secured upon the rear axle adjacent to said wheels, whereby when the device is moved backward the rear wheels will turn without turning the rear axle.

When the deviceis made small enough for useasa toy, it may be propelled by a string or by pushing or pulling by hand, and while moving forward the horses legs and those of the rider will closely imitate the movements of a live horse and rider, and a very attractive and amusing toy will thus be provided. When made large enough for a velocipede, the rider will mount the saddle and propel the device by pedaling in the same manner that a bicycle ortricycle is propelled,and thus much amusement and pleasantexercise will be furnished to children of larger growth.

We may substitute the figure of any other animal for that of the horse-for instance, that of a goat, which maybe made to buck by bending both cranks of the front axle in the same direction.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States. is-

In a toy or velocipede, the combination with the rear portion of the body of a horse provided with jointed legs and driving mechanism connected therewith, the forward portion of the body carrying the head, a vertical bracket depending rigidly from the forward portion, an axle journaled in said bracket, and front wheels on said axle, the two parts of the body being cut away at the sides of their vertical meeting-lines, top and bottom plates projecting from the rear portion of the body, top and bottom plates projecting rearward from the front portion of the body and overlapping the plates of the rearportion, and a vertical pivot parallel with but in the rear of the vertical bracket which carries the front wheelsand passing through and connecting the overlapping plates, reins attached to the head carried by the front portion and a saddle attached to the rear portion of the body, all substantially as described.

ELLSWORTH THOMPSON. AMOS EDMOND EVANS.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. WATTS, CHRESTOPH. H. DE'IMERS. 

